An Heir to the Throne
Henry VIII of England and Katherine of Aragon had a very strong marriage for a very long time. In fact, Henry's marriage to Katherine lasted longer than his marriages to all of his other wives combined. Henry wasn't always faithful, and Katherine liked to interfere in political affairs, but Henry and Katherine had an overall happy relationship. In fact, Henry and Katherine may have remained married until their deaths had Katherine provided Henry with just one thing. That one thing was a male heir to the throne.
Henry and Katherine had had male children before, but none of them made it past infancy. In fact, only one of their children made it past infancy, and that was Princess Mary Tudor. Mary was a very smart and beautiful girl, and Henry and Katherine both loves her dearly. The only problem with Mary is that she wasn't a boy. There was no law in England preventing a female from assuming the throne, but Henry still had a problem with having a female heir. The Tudor dynasty was still fairly new, and Henry feared that if a female became queen, it would lead to civil war in England. He felt that only a male heir could prevent chaos from erupting in England. Katherine wanted nothing more than to give Henry the son he earnestly desired, but eventually she reached the age where she could no longer bear children. This meant that Mary would be the only heir.
Henry wasn't satisfied with this, so he began looking outside of his marriage. Eventually, he found the young ambitious Anne Boleyn. Henry fell in love with Anne, and Anne promised Henry the son he always wanted. Henry petitioned Pope Clement VII for an annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon based on the fact that Katherine had been previously married to his brother. Clement denied Henry's request, most likely due to pressure from Katherine's nephew, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. This didn't stop Henry, who decided to break with the Catholic Church in order to get his divorce. Upon leaving the Church, Henry had the Archbishop of Canterbury end his marriage to Katherine. He quickly married Anne, who soon after gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth. Anne wouldn't be able to give Henry a son, and he instead had to wait for his third wife, Jane Seymour, to give him one.
Henry and Katherine had had male children before, but none of them made it past infancy. In fact, only one of their children made it past infancy, and that was Princess Mary Tudor. Mary was a very smart and beautiful girl, and Henry and Katherine both loves her dearly. The only problem with Mary is that she wasn't a boy. There was no law in England preventing a female from assuming the throne, but Henry still had a problem with having a female heir. The Tudor dynasty was still fairly new, and Henry feared that if a female became queen, it would lead to civil war in England. He felt that only a male heir could prevent chaos from erupting in England. Katherine wanted nothing more than to give Henry the son he earnestly desired, but eventually she reached the age where she could no longer bear children. This meant that Mary would be the only heir.
Henry wasn't satisfied with this, so he began looking outside of his marriage. Eventually, he found the young ambitious Anne Boleyn. Henry fell in love with Anne, and Anne promised Henry the son he always wanted. Henry petitioned Pope Clement VII for an annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon based on the fact that Katherine had been previously married to his brother. Clement denied Henry's request, most likely due to pressure from Katherine's nephew, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. This didn't stop Henry, who decided to break with the Catholic Church in order to get his divorce. Upon leaving the Church, Henry had the Archbishop of Canterbury end his marriage to Katherine. He quickly married Anne, who soon after gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth. Anne wouldn't be able to give Henry a son, and he instead had to wait for his third wife, Jane Seymour, to give him one.